Green and Black Flags

Which countries have green and black flags?

The list falls into three groups.

• Pan-Arab colors (black, white, green and red): Jordan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Syria, Palestine and Western Sahara. Libya's red, black and green with a white crescent and star is related.
• Pan-African colors: Kenya (black, red and green bands with white edges and a Maasai shield), Malawi, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Caribbean and Pacific flags: Jamaica (a gold diagonal cross on green and black), Dominica, Guyana, St. Kitts & Nevis, Martinique and Vanuatu.

Tanzania, with a black diagonal band edged in yellow between green and blue, and South Africa complete the list.

Quick ways to tell them apart: horizontal black, white and green stripes with a red triangle at the hoist mean Jordan or Palestine, and Jordan has a white seven-pointed star. A diagonal cross means Jamaica. Green with a bird in the middle means Zambia or Dominica. A green and blue diagonal means Tanzania.

Why do green and black appear together?

Both colors have strong regional traditions. The Pan-Arab colors go back to the Arab Revolt of 1916, where black, white, green and red each stood for a historical Arab dynasty. Many Arab states adopted them afterward.

In sub-Saharan Africa, black generally stands for the people, and green for the land. Kenya's black stands for its people, and Malawi and Zimbabwe also use black for the African population. Jamaica uses black for the hardships overcome, gold for sunshine and green for hope and agriculture.

Libya's current flag has red, black and green stripes with a white crescent and star. It was used at independence in 1951, replaced in 1969 by other designs and restored in 2011. Tanzania's flag, adopted in 1964 when Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged, uses green for the land, black for the people, yellow for minerals and blue for the sea and lakes.